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Table of Contents:
When to travel to Gardone Riviera
How to get to Gardone Riviera from Verona
How to get to Gardone Riviera from Milan
Where to stay in Gardone Riviera
What to see in Gardone Riviera
When to travel to Gardone Riviera
Gardone Riviera is a small resort town on the western shore of Lake Garda. This resort is less famous among tourists than other lake towns, however, a holiday in Gardone is an opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful and picturesque places around Garda Lake. Gardone Riviera has a unique microclimate, since it is surrounded with coniferous forests.
The town is located right on the shore of the lake, which allows tourists to come here for a beach holiday during the summer time. In addition, Gardone Riviera is famous for its amazingly beautiful botanical gardens, the medieval San Marco Tower, which is located right on the shore of the lake and offers stunning views of the water surface, and other historical and architectural monuments.
After some research, I decided to put together information I have previously found out and create a complete guide on how to organize a holiday in Gardone Riviera. I figured out how to get to the town, where to stay & what to see there. I really hope this detailed information will help you plan your trip to Gardone Riviera.
The “high” tourist season lasts from June to September incl. in Gardone Riviera. This is the time when tourists can swim and relax on the beach as the weather is pretty sunny and the water temperature is getting warmer enough to swim in Lake Garda. But you can visit Gardone all year round. To my mind, the “low” season lasting from October until April-May is good for long distance strolling, hiking, trying local gastronomy and sightseeing.
How to get to Gardone Riviera
Where do you fly into to get to Gardone Riviera? You may choose one of the major cities to fly into. It can be Milan, Bergamo, Verona or Venice. The current flight timetable can be checked via specialized online services such as Aviasales and other similar ones. Then from the cities mentioned above tourists need to take the train to the town of Desenzano, located on the southern side of the lake, or to Brescia. There are buses from Desenzano and Brescia to Gardone Riviera. Besides public transport, you can also hire a car to travel around lake Garda on your own.
How to get to Gardone Riviera from Verona
After researching some information, I figured out that the distance between Verona and Gardone is about 66 km. You can use public transport or a rented car to get to the town.
By public transport: To get to Gardone from Verona by public transport, you need to combine train and bus options. Please, note that there is no train station in Gardone. The nearest one is in Desenzano. So, firstly you need to take a train from Verona to Desenzano. Trains run along the route 2-3 times an hour during the day. The travel time is just 20 minutes. You can check the current train timetable at the Raileurope service. I really like this online service as it has a simple search with a lot of useful filters to find the best suitable railway connections for your trips. I can definitely recommend it.
Then in Desenzano you need to take a bus #LN006 to Salo town and in Salo town to take a direct bus #S202-1 to Limone. The total travel time by buses is about 2 hours (see on the map).
By rented car: You can reach Gardone by car along the western shore of the lake. In that case, you need to take a motorway #A4/E70 via Desenzano. The travel time from Verona is approximately 1,5 hours. You can book a car in Verona in advance via different online services, for instance, via Discover Cars, Economybookings and others. Based on my experience, both online services have pretty much convenient search and a great number of useful options to sort the results as you may need.
How to get to Gardone Riviera from Milan
According to my map research, the distance between Milan and Gardone is 130 km. You can also use either public transport or a rented car to reach your travel destination.
By public transport: There is no train station in Gardone, so, firstly you need to take a train to Brescia town. Trains run 1-2 times an hour during the day. The travel time by train is about 1 hour. You can check the current train timetable at the Raileurope service. Then in Brescia you need to take a bus #S202-1 directly to Gardone. The travel time by bus is slightly more than 1 hour (see on the map). I can totally recommend Raileurope for searching the train connections as I use it very often when planning my own trips. I think it is very convenient and has a lot of useful filters to narrow down the results and compare different options.
By rented car: As an option you can also hire a car in Milan and travel around Lake Garda on your own. It is recommended to book a car in Milan in advance to find the best car options. Travellers can use various online services such as Discover Cars, Economybookings and others to book a car in advance. Milan and Gardone are connected with a motorway #A4 via Bergamo or with a motorway #A35 via Brescia. The distance and the travel time by both roads are approximately the same. To my mind, both services mentioned above are good and easy-to-use plus have a great number of options to sort the results.
Where to stay in Gardone Riviera
Despite Gardone being a small town, it has a developed hotel infrastructure. According to my research, travelers can stay in hotels of any star category, including even five-star hotels. You can also book apartments, B&B`s, holiday homes and guest houses in Gardone. Most hotels and apartments in Gardone Riviera are located close to the lake (some of them are on the first beach line).
Hotel Bellevue 3* is located 50 meters from the lake and has a swimming pool, a sun terrace with panoramic views, a bar, bicycle rental, free parking and free Wi-Fi. Town attractions are within walking distance. You can stay at the hotel in a standard double or triple room, as well as in separate apartments. There is a telephone, TV, a safe, air conditioning, a hair dryer, and wireless Internet in the rooms. The apartments are additionally equipped with a fridge, a kettle, and a stove. Breakfast is provided for those staying in the rooms. The hotel gets the best ratings for the work of the staff, the cleanliness of the rooms and the quality of the Wi-Fi provided. The location of the hotel is also highly rated. The hotel offers luggage storage. Check-in is from 13.00, check-out is until 11.00;
Hotel Colomber 3* is located in the mountains, in a green area, surrounded with natural landscapes. Lake Garda is 5 km away. The hotel features an outdoor swimming pool and an open-air restaurant. Free on-site parking is also available. The hotel rooms are available in single and double occupancy options. The rooms are equipped with a hairdryer, TV, and a telephone. Continental breakfasts are included in the price. The hotel gets the best ratings for the work of the staff, the cleanliness of the rooms and the quality of the Wi-Fi provided. The quality of the breakfasts is also highly rated. Check-in is from 14.00, check-out is until 10.00;
Hotel Aquavite 3* is located 150 meters from Lake Garda; the rooms have views of the lake. Guests can relax in the restaurant and on the sun terrace. Free Wi-Fi and free parking are provided. The hotel has standard and family rooms. Room amenities include air conditioning, a hair dryer, a telephone, TV, and wireless Internet. As online booking services provide tourists reviews, I discovered that, depending on the room type, breakfast or half board may be included in the price. The hotel gets the best ratings for the work of the staff, the cleanliness of the rooms and the quality of the Wi-Fi provided. Check-in is from 13.30, check-out is until 11.00;
B&B Garda Inn 3* has a picturesque location near the lake. Guests can stay in rooms of various categories. Some rooms have a balcony with lake views. Breakfast is included in the price. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel and is free of charge. Free private parking is provided nearby. Luggage storage services are available at the front desk. Check-in is from 14.00, check-out is until 10.00;
La Piccola Gardenia is located in a picturesque place, overlooking the lake and has a terrace for relaxation. Guests can stay in double rooms. Breakfast is included in the price. Wi-Fi is available in public areas and is free of charge. Free private parking is provided on site upon reservation. Luggage storage services are available at the front desk. Check-in is from 17.00, check-out is until 12.00.
What to see in Gardone Riviera
In addition to impressive and picturesque natural landscapes, Gardone Riviera can boast the unique André Heller botanical garden and the Vittoriale palace and its park area. Both of these attractions are considered to be a must-see of Gardone Riviera. Besides, many architectural monuments have been preserved in the historical center of the town, including palazzos and villas of various architectural styles. The Tower of San Marco, located on the very shore of the lake, is considered to be a unique historical monument in Gardone. The tower is both an architectural landmark and an observation deck.
While spending your holiday in Gardone Riviera, do not miss the opportunity to visit Andre Heller Park. The botanical garden occupies a huge area, and the plants and flowers growing here truly surprise even “experienced” visitors. From alpine species to Mediterranean and exotic plants, the park boasts a huge collection of flora. In addition, the park exhibits artworks and sculptures by famous Italian masters. I found out detailed information for visiting the park:
- The park opens its doors to visitors from March to October inclusive, daily from 9 am to 7 pm.
- Entrance cost is 12 euros for adults and 5 euros for children.
The Vittoriale palace and park complex is located in the surroundings of Gardone and represents a whole series of architectural objects. These are a huge amber-yellow palace with exquisite bas-reliefs and graceful forms of a typical summer residence; an amphitheater in the palace courtyard, which accurately resembles the famous Roman amphitheater in miniature; and elegant gardens decorated with unusual plants, trees, fountains and sculptures. There is some useful information for visiting that I discovered:
- The palace is open from 9 am to 8 pm in summer; from 9 am to 6 pm in autumn; from 9.30 am to 5 pm in winter.
- There are 3 touristic routes available in the park.
- The entrance fee depends on the chosen route.
- Thus, the largest tourist route, designed for 2.5 hours, costs 18 euros for an adult and 14 euros for a child.
In my opinion, it is definitely worth taking a walk through the historical center of Gardone Riviera. Here you will find many magnificent villas, although most of them have now been turned into hotels. The most impressive are the facades of Villas Paradiso and Fiordaliso. The facade of Villa Alba is also interesting; in its architecture you can easily notice ancient Greek motifs. Be sure to climb to the highest point of the town called the Tower of San Marco. The tower is interesting with its architectural style and has the panoramic views that open from its top.
As I can see it, Gardone Riviera is a remarkable corner of breath-taking natural landscapes and decent resort opportunities. You can choose beach relaxing or different activities including excursions, sightseeing, boat trips, etc. There are a lot of pleasant places to stroll around such as botanical gardens, a historical center and hiking trails along coniferous forests and mountains.
Take a note! When going on a trip to Italy, do not forget to take out travel insurance, which is useful for receiving a tourist visa and for solving emerging medical problems when travelling in another country. You can purchase insurance via online services, for example, via EKTA and others. You can choose from different modes, including quiet, active or extreme rest.
Photo above the article: Richard Gillin
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Julia is an experienced traveller, BA in International Relations and Languages and true lover of planning trips in advance. Learn more about the author…